Gasoline dispensing pump illuminated dial



Jan. 5, 1943. A. GvHORVATH GASOLINE DISPENSING PUMP ILLUMINATED DIAL1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 15

TRANSMLE/VTUML IIVSET Jan. 5, 1943. A, HORVATH GASOLINE DISPENSING PUMPILLUMINATED DIAL Filed Aug. 15, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan, 5,1943 GASOLINE DISPENSING PUMP ILLUMINATED DIAL Anthony G. Horvath,Dayton, Ohio, assignor to The Dayton Pump and Manufacturing Company,Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 15, 1940, SerialNo. 352,824 3 Claims. (Cl. 116-129) This invention relates to ameasuring device, and in particular to indicating devices in connectionwith measuring devices for indicating the cost and/or quantity ofdispensed goods. The invention is of particular importance in connectionwith gasoline dispensers in which a cylindrical drum carrying charactersindicating the cost and/or quantity of the dispensed gasoline is rotatedand lifted in a casing closely surrounding said drum.

Due to the specific arrangement of such rotating and simultaneouslyaxially moving drum, little and rather inconvenient space is left forproviding lamps to illuminate characters on the drum. The heretoforeknown gasoline dispensers of the type under consideration had thedrawback that the characters on the drum were poorly illuminated, and asa matter of fact were made illegible by a shadow cast on the charactersby portions of the casing covering the drum.

It is an object of the invention to provide an indicating device of thecharacter above referred to which is simple in construction and avoidsthe drawback pointed out above.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an indicating devicefor indicating the cost and/or quantity of dispensed goods in which arotatable and axially movable indicating drum is mounted in a closelyfitting casing, and in which a character on the drum may appear fullyilluminated at a reading slot in the casing.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an indicating deviceas set forth in the preceding paragraph, in which the reading slot issurrounded by light diffusing material.

A still further object of the invention consists in providing anindicating device for indicating the cost and/or quantity of dispensedgoods, in which the rotatable and axially movable indicating drum ismounted in a closely fitted casing provided with one or more readingslots through which some of the indicating characters are visible, andin which light beams of a light source are diffused through plastictranslucent material confining the reading slot or slots.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear moreclearly from the following specification in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a vertical section through a portion of a gasolinedispenser comprising a drum with characters for indicating the cost andquantity of the dispensed gasoline;

Figure 2 is a section along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view of a portion of the casing surrounding the indicatingdrum and illustrates the arrangement of the reading slots and the lightsource;

Figure 4 shows a light difiusing member according to the inventionconfining the reading slot.

General arrangement The measuring indicating device according to theinvention comprises a casing with a closely fitting rotatable drumtherein having a series of characters thereon for indicating the priceand cost of the dispensed goods. The casing surrounding the drum has oneor more reading slots through which the characters indicating the costand/or quantit will appear. The read ing slots are confined bytranslucent, preferably pressed pieces of plastic material which areinserted in corresponding openings of the generally metallic casing. Theinside of the slot confining pieces are curved so as to closely followthe configuration of the drum and are provided with bottom, top and sidepieces so as to prevent the lamps insidethe casing from directlyilluminating the dial. However, due to the translucent character of theslot confining pieces, the light beams emanated from the said lamps arediffused, thereby evenly and properly illuminating that dial portionwhich appears in the reading slot.'

Structural arrangement Referring now to the drawings, the numeral Illdesignates the casing of a gasoline dispenser which is preferably madeup of sheet metal. The front and rear portions of the casing I0 comprisefront and rear plates I I and I2 respectively, which are connected inany convenient manner, for instance by the screw I3 with transversebeams I4 and I5 forming stiffening members of the casing III. The frontand rear plates I I and I2 are each provided with two transverseopenings I6 and I! in which are inserted reading slot members It and I9.As will be seen from Figure 2 and Figure 4, which later illustrates thereading slot member in perspective, the reading slot member has a flange20 adapted to engage with its inside the outside of the front and rearplates I I and I 2 and to be fastened thereto by means of screws 2|passing through corresponding openings 22 in the flange portions 23 and24.

As will further appear from Figure 4 the slot members I8 and I9 areprovided with side portions 25 and bottom and top portions 26 and 21which on their inside conform to the configuration of a rotatable andaxially movable drum 28, provided with a series of characters 29indicating the cost of the dispensed gasoline and with a series ofcharacters 30 indicating the number of gallons dispensed.

The particular arrangement of the individual characters on the drum ininclined lines does not form a part of the present inventionancl-is'well known inthe art. Arranged between the slot members l8 andI9 are bulbs 3| for illuminating those characters 29 and 30 which appearin the Each slot member is provided with .l a pointer 32, and 33 whichindicates inconnection' reading slot.

with the characters aligned therewith the cost and/or quantity of thedispensed gasoline.

The- 9 slot members I8 and 19 are of translucentma- 1 the arrangement ofthe bulbs 3| may be varied in any convenient manner and if desired theshape of the slot members; and I9 may be likewise varied. r

It will be understoodthat I desire to comprehend within my inventionsuch modifications as come Within the-scope of the claims andtheinvention.

Having thus fully described rny'invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is: i

' 1. In combination in an indicating' device; measuring meanscomprising'a rotatable drum having charactersthereon for indicating thecost and/or quantity of dispensed goods, a non-translucent casingsurroundingsaid drum and proally movable drum with characters indicatingthe cost and/or quantity of the dispensed gasoline, a metal casingsurrounding said drum and being provided with front and rear plates eachhaving two superimposed openings thereon, a translucent frame memberinserted in each of said openings and into said casing and between thedrum and casing and confining a reading slot, said transluoent memberhaving its inside configured to the curvature of. said drum and beingmade of plastic material, and a light source arranged in said casing butoutside. said drum and laterally of said translucent member foremanating light beams through saidtranslucent members to illuminate thatportion of the drum which is visible through said slot. V

3. In combination 'in an indicating device, measuring means comprising arotatable drum with indicating means thereon for indicating the costand/or quantity of dispensed goods, a metal casing surrounding said drumand provided with an Opening, a translucent frame member projectingin'said openingand into the casing and between'the drum and casing andconfining a reading slot through which alportion' of said drum isvisible, sa'id'tr'anslucent member having converging side portions andbeing provided with bottom and"top por'tions and having its innerperiphery configuredto the configuration of said drum, and a lightsource mounted. laterally of said translucent member and betweentheinside of said casing and the outside of said drum.

ANTHONY G. HORVA'IH.

